E28 Brakes

["Hunt, Reed (CAP, GEFA)" <Reed.Hunt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jerry writes,


>>>>>>>>>>>>>
		Hey guys,
		I replaced the fluid and pads this weekend with Metal
Masters and Castrol Dot 4.  I used one of those One-Man bleeders (the type
that attaches to the bleed valve and has a valve at the other end that
allows fluid to flow out, but not in).
		I did the bleed until clean fluid flowed out of each wheel
going from the closest brake to the furthest (I know this is against
conventional wisdom, but the FAQ's advised doing it this way and it makes
sense to me).  You should have seen how cloudy the old fluid was.  Yuk!

		I now have squishy brakes and I'm hoping to isolate the
problem.  It could be 3 things as I see it:
		1.	Crappy bleed job
		2.	Diff between Metal Masters and Jurids
		3.	ABS

		The 3rd is because I have read that you need a special tool
to bleed car's with ABS, and I don't have this tool.  Or could it be that my
brake lines are that bad (83k miles).  They didn't feel this squishy prior
to the work so I kind of ruled this out.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I am not an expert, but in my opinion:

1.	Could be.  From my experience, the "pull" bleeders are not the most
efficient.  I prefer to push the fluid out, pressurizing the system through
the brake fluid reservoir.  
2.	Shouldn't cause a mushy pedal.  MMs don't stop well when cold (IMHO)
but I don't think they would lead to a mushy pedal.
3.	Changing fluids and pads should not impact the ABS system at all.  

You MAY want to consider new brake lines, but these probably are not your
culprit, especially since your "feel" was fine before.

Consider your bleeding method and see what others say.

Regards,

Reed
Seattle
1985 535i
160K

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